Cooking With Chef Anna™

Signora Anna and Signor Jacques welcome you to their 15th-century villa property for hands-on cooking classes while sipping excellent wine in the heart of Lombardy. This culinary tour on Lake Garda is set in a picturesque garden with charming accommodations which have been carefully restored – it is simply exquisite.  Each room, from dining room to bedroom suites, holds the beauty of the past with flourishing frescoes in the great style of Guido Reni.  Signora Anna and Signor Jacques share their traditions and secrets to la dolce vita! Married for over 20 happy years, they have followed their dream to the Italian countryside on the Lakes of Lombardy and passionately welcome guests from all over the world to this Lombardy Italy vacation.  This Lombardy Italy Vacation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!!!

As featured in December 2017 – Click here to read more!

During the cooking classes and pasta making classes in Lombardy, you will learn about the best in-season fruits and vegetables and local products such as Garda DOP olive oil made with freshly pressed Casaliva olives, oranges and lemons from the shores of Lake Garda, tiny plums from Dro in summer and chestnuts from Drena in the fall.  During your Lombardy Italy Vacation with Signora Anna and Signor Jacques, you will experience a local vineyard tour and tasting – a truly Dolce Vita experience. Take time out on your own to explore the elegant town of Mantova with its grand palazzos, or enjoy a boat trip along Lake Garda and stroll along the pretty lakeside streets of Desenzano del Garda. Be prepared – this beautiful part of Italy will utterly charm you!

On The Lakes Of Lombardy Cooking Classes

Anna invites you into her kitchen to teach you her favorite family recipes. Learn hands-on along with Anna and prepare antipasti, pasta, main courses and desserts with passion. In each class, use only seasonal products from Anna’s garden and the nearby local marketplace. And if Anna’s mother is in the kitchen – get ready to prepare her famous handmade pasta and polpettone!

Lunch or dinner follows and includes the foods made in class. Everyone enjoys the food and toasts with a good glass of local red or white wine.  You will not only take home recipes, but memories and experiences that will last a lifetime in our Lombardy food and wine experience.

Some of Anna’s favorite recipes:

Polpettone con Prosciutto e Speck – “Polpettone” with Prosciutto and Speck
Filletto di Maiale con Funghi – Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms
Pollo con Gorgonzola e Speck – Chicken with Gorgonzola and Speck
Pasta al Forno con Verdura – Baked Pasta with Vegetables
Pasta Fresca: Tagliatelle and Bigoli – Fresh Pasta: Local types
Pane Fresco – Homemade breads and brioche
Torte Salate – Savory quiches and tarts

Lombardy

The region of Lombardy is located in northern Italy with its capital Milan, the business and fashion capital of Italy. Nearby Monza boasts a Grand Prix racetrack and travel just a bit further north and you arrive to the beautiful Lakes region of Italy including Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Iseo and Lake Garda. The charming small towns that line the lakes were a destination for the Grand Tour and today, visitors still marvel at the grand villas, luxurious gardens and incredible landscapes.

Milan is home to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper, the gothic Duomo, and the golden yellow risotto alla Milanese. The origins of Milan’s famous risotto date back to medieval times when the courts would coat their food with gold before serving it to guests. The Lombardians looked for ways to create the same effect and came up with the vibrant golden hue of saffron risotto alla Milanese.

Wine lovers will be sipping and swirling with with Lombardy’s Franciacorta spumante and Prosecco! This sparkling wine is made in the traditional way, in which the wine is re-fermented in the bottle to produce the fragrant bubbly. Try Franciacorta’s rose, saten, vintage and riserva which is produced in this area.

Just a bit further west, you arrive at Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, which is halfway between Brescia and Verona and borders both Lombardy and Veneto. Visit Catullus’s Villa in Sirmione known as “La Grotte di Catullo,” take a boat to visit the islands of the lake such as Isola Del Garda with its neogothic castle and botanical gardens, or sample the fresh-water fish such as trout or lake carp at a lakeside trattoria with a glass of Garda DOC wine.

Lombardy Accommodations

Located just about 20 minutes from the shores of Lake Garda, Anna’s Villa B&B offers a perfect location to enjoy the countryside and visit Lombardy’s beautiful lakes region. The guest bedrooms and suites are furnished with antiques from generations past, tasteful fabric and linen, along with elegant tea and caffè making facilities and there is a common sitting area that can be enjoyed by all guests. Each room is equipped with fans and air conditioning, central heating for the winter months, private bathroom and daily maid service.

Wake up each morning to a delicious Italian breakfast in the sitting room, admire the ancient frescoed ceilings of angels or step out into the garden with your caffè in hand.  Anna offers fresh bread, croissants, and cakes baked daily, delicious homemade yogurt and a variety of fruity jams, along with cereals, orange juice, tea and coffee.

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Itinerary ~ 4 Days, 3 Nights

Day 1: Arrival & Welcome Dinner

• Arrival – Check in and meet your hosts Signora Anna, Jacques and their staff.
• Relax with a welcome aperitivo.
• Enjoy  a Chef’s Welcome Dinner with Anna and her family featuring a full course menu of traditional fare. Water, local wine and great conversation included!

Day 2: Cooking Class 1 & Visit to Desenzano del Garda

• Breakfast is served.
• At 10am, tie on your apron for cooking class 1.  You will make an antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert. Anna makes you feel like a part of her grand Italian family for a taste of the true dolce vita!
• Lunch on your own.
• After lunch, transfer to Desenzano for a morning visit. Explore this charming town on foot, taking in the medieval castle with its battlement towers right at the center of the city, the Archaeological Museum and the ruins of a Roman villa with its well-preserved collage of black, red, olive and orange mosaics, depicting hunting, fishing and chariot riding.  Stroll along the promenade and enjoy a drink down by the harbor at one of the many waterside cafés and watch the world go by.
• Dinner with the foods you prepared in your morning cooking class.

Day 3 – Cooking Class 2 & Visit to the Morenic Hills 

• Breakfast is served
• At 10am, tie on your apron for cooking class 2.  You will make an antipasto, pasta, main course and dessert.
• Lunch on your own.
• In the afternoon, set off for a visit to the Morenic Hills with guided tour. Visit an ancient abbey and a castle fortress overlooking the lake.
• Dinner with the foods you prepared in your morning cooking class.

Day 4 – Departure

• Breakfast is served
• After breakfast, check out and transfer to local train station.
• Arriverderci!